Ice-making apparatus.



No. 675,965. Patented lune IIV, |90I.

W. B. MGCROSKY.

ICE MAKING APPARATUS.

(Application Bled. July 27, 1900.\ (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 675,965. Patented lune Il, |90I. W. B. MGCROSKY.

ICE MAKING APPARATUS.

(Application Bled July 27, 1900.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

WILLIAM I3. MCCROSKY, OF EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

ICE-MAKING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,965, dated June 11,1901.

Application filed July 27, 1900. Serial No. 25,032. (No model.)

Toall whom it may concern:

Be itknown that LWILLIAM B. MCCRosKv, a citizen of the United States,residing at Eureka Springs, in the county of Carroll and State ofArkansas, have invented a new and useful Ice-Making Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

My present invention relates to novel apparatus for forming ice bynatural means. It is well understood that under given conditions a bodyof water exposed to air at a temperature lower than freezing-point willonly freeze to a given depth below the surface, because beyond thispoint the water is protected by the ice from direct contact with thecold air. Even where a considerable thickness of ice can be obtainedupon a lake, river, or other body of water the process of freezing isslow, requiring sometimes the elapse of many weeks before a sufficientthickness of ice has formed to warrant the harvesting thereof. Thereforemy present invention contemplates the employment of simple andinexpensive apparatus by means of which the thickness of the ice formedupon exposed bodies of water may be quickly increased by the formationwithin an inclosed area of several superficial layers ofnaturally-formed ice.

To the accomplishment of my object,which is the formation of ice bynatural means, I provide a series of inclosures, defined by muslinwalls, erected upon the frozen surface of a pond or river and theprovision of novel mechanism for flooding the inclosures orcompartments-as, for instance, by spraying a thin sheet of water overthe surface of the pond, so that the freezing of such water will add aslight superficial thickness to the ice, which is increased to thedesired extent by the formation in a similar manner of subsequentsuperimposed layers.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a View in perspective of myice-making apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional viewthrough a portion of the apparatus, showing the relations of theinclosing walls, one of the spray-boxes, and the supply-tank andstand-pipe for supplying said box; and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical Viewshowing a series of ice-making plants, showing the manner in which thetank and standpipe between the plants is used for the spraying of theadjacent compartments of two plants.

Referring tothe numerals of reference employed to designatecorresponding parts in the several views, l indicates the frozen surfaceof a body of water upon which my plant is erected. The plant comprisesan inclosure, preferably of rectangular form, defined by corner-posts 2,which extend above the surface of the ice and are retained in anysuitable manner-as, forinstance, by being frozen into the body of ice orby being anchored in the bed of the body of water--it being understoodthat this post may be either erected after the ice has formed or duringthe warmer seasons by being driven into the river or lake bed in themanner of ordinary piles. The rectangle thus defined is inclosed withinmuslin walls 3, additionally supported at any desired number ofpointsbetween the posts 2 by the provision of supplemental posts 4. Thelarge rectangular compartment thus inclosed is subdivided into foursmaller compartments by muslin partition-walls 5, which extend between acenter post 6 and partition-posts 7, the post 6 being located in thecenter of the large inclosure and the partition-posts 7 being locatedagainst the outer muslin walls 3 and midway between each pair ofcorner-posts 2.

The corner-posts 2 and partition-posts 7 constitute supports for thewire stringer 8, which passes continuously around the outside wall 3 andis received within slits or notches formed in the upper ends of thecorner-posts 2, partition-posts 7, and the intermediate supplementalposts 4. The stringer 8, while serving to retain all of the posts intheir proper positions, also constitutes supports from which are hung atsuitable intervals wall-retaining loops 9, which engage the upper edgesof the muslin walls 3 to insure the retention of said walls in theproper p0- sition. The partition-walls 5 are surmounted by similarstringers l0, extending from the center post G to each of thepartition-posts 7 and serving, like the stringers 8, to supportwall-retaining loops 10', engaging the upper edges of thepartition-walls 5. The structure thus far described comprehends muslinwalls and partitions suitably retained by a seriesy IOO of posts andhaving their lower edges frozen to the ice and their upper edgessupported from the stringers by suitable links.

I have shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings what may be termed a singlebattery or plant, comprehending four rectangular compartments; but Iwish it to be understood that I may employ any desired number of thesesubdivided plants or that I may subdivide each inclosure to form anydesired number of compartments therein. It has been premised that theice is intended to be formed within the compartments thus inclosed byflooding said compartments for the purpose offorming successive layersof ice therein. The means which I employ for this purpose comprehends ahollow spray-box 11, designed to be located upon the ice within acompartment and provided with a vertical series of slits or elongateddischarge-openings 12 of any desired extent, but preferably extendingsubstantially half-way around the spray-box and in communication withthe interior thereof.

Arranged upon the outside of the wall 3, and preferably supported somelittle distance above the surface of the ice, I provide a water-tank 13,supplied with water from any suitable source-as, for instance, through asupply-pipe 14--and adjacent to the tank I locate a stand-pipe 15,extending slightly above the tank and communicating therewith through asiphon 16. The water from the supply-tank 13 is designed to be siphonedinto the tank 15 through the siphon 16 and to be siphoned from saidstand-pipe through a siphon 17 to the interior of the spray-box 11, fromwhich the water is discharged in a thin sheet over the surface of theice within the compartment in the manner stated. The siphon or line ofpipe 17 extending from the stand-pipe 15 to the spray-box is necessarilyof considerable length, and therefore in order to prevent the pipe fromresting upon the ice I support it upon a trestle or bench 18, as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Where a single plant is used, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, a pairof spray-boxes, stand-pipes, and supply-tanks are preferably used, asshown, each box being designed to flood two compartments; but where aseries of ice plants are erected, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings, each spray-box and its connected apparatus are intended tosupply two compartments of each adjacent plant, one stand-pipe andsupply-tank being located between each pair of plants. The plant havingbeen erected and organized as shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, it will beevident that the original thickness of the ice may be considerablyincreased in a comparatively short space of time by successivelyflooding each of the compartments to form a series of superimposedlayers of naturally-formed ice, which having reached a proper thicknessmay be harvested at any desired time and in any desired manner.

I have referred to the walls 3 as being constructed of muslin. lV-allsof this character are essential to the practical operation of theapparatus, for the reason that muslin is a fabric of such exceedingthinness that while it detains the water sufficiently for my purpose itdoes not interfere with such circulation of the air through the wall asis neces sary to accomplish the effectual freezing of the water adjacentto the walls. The exceeding thinness of muslin also enables the iceblocks to be cut, if desired, withoutstripping off the fabric, as thelatter does not interfere in the least with the operation of the plowsor saws.

While the present embodiment of my invention appears at this time to bepreferable, I desire to reserve the right to effect such changes,modifications, and variations as may appear to be expedient, providedthat such variations are embraced within the scope of the protectionprayed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- 1. In an apparatusfor increasing the thickness of ice on exposed bodies of water, thecombination with a compartment defined by inclosing walls,ofaspray-boxsuppcrted upon the ice within the compartment and provided withopenings at different elevations for successive use, and means t'orsupplying the spray-box with water.

2. In an apparatus for increasing the thickness of ice upon exposedbodies of water, the combination with a compartment defined by inclosingwalls,of a spray-box supported upon the ice within the compartment andprovided with openings at different elevations for successive use forthe purpose of forming successive superficial layers of ice by thesuccessive freezing and flooding of said layers, a supply-tank upon theexterior of the compartment, and means for supplying water to thespray-box from said tank.

3. In an apparatus for increasing the thickness of ice upon exposedbodies of water, the combination with a compartment defined by inclosingwalls, of a spray-box supported upon the ice within the compartment andprovided with openings at different elevations for successive use forthe purpose of forming successive superficial layers of ice by thesuccessive freezing and flooding of said layers, a supply-tank upon theexterior of the compartment, a stand-pipe adjacent to the supplytank, asiphon connecting the stand-pipe with the supply-pipe, and a secondsiphon extending from the supply-pipe to the spray-box.

4. In an apparatus for increasing the thickness of the ice upon exposedbodies of water, the combination with a compartment defined by inclosingwalls, of a spray-box provided with a vertical series of slits, andmeans for supplying water to the interior of the spraybox for thepurpose of supplying water to the compartment at successively higherelevations to form superficial layers of ice.

5. In an apparatus for increasing the thick- Ico IIC

IIS

ness of the ice upon exposed bodies of water, the combination with aseries of corner-posts and an outside muslin Wall retained by saidcorner-posts and defining a plant, of partition-posts locatedintermediate of the cornerposts, a center post located at the center ofthe plant, muslin partition-Walls extending from the center post to eachof the partitionposts, and means for supplying the compartments thusdefined with thin sheets of water designed to be frozen to formsuperficial layers of ice.

6. In an apparatus for increasing the thickness of the ice upon exposedbodies of Water, the combination with a series of corner-posts, and anoutside muslin Wall retained by said posts, of a series of intermediatesupplementary posts, and partition-posts intermediate of thecorner-posts, Wire stringers connecting the upper ends of the severalposts, a center post located at the center of the compartment formedbythe outside wall, Wire stringers extending from the upper end of thecenter post to each of the partition-posts, muslin partition-wallsextending from said center post to each of the partition-posts, and aseries of loops supported by each of the Wire stringers and connected tothe upper edges of the Walls.

7. In an apparatus for increasing the thickness of the ice upon exposedbodies of Water, the combination with a series of corner-posts, and anoutside muslin wall retained by said posts, of a series of intermediatesupplementary posts, and partition-posts intermediate of' thecorner-posts, Wire stringers connecting the upper ends of the severalposts, a center post located at the center of the compartment formed bythe outside Wall, Wire stringers extending from the upper end of thecenter post to each of the partition-posts, muslin partition-Wallsextending from said center post to each of the partition-posts, a seriesof loops supported by each of the Wire stringere and connected to theupper edges of the Walls, spray-boxes designed to effect the flooding ofthe several compartments, water-tanks outside of the plant stand-pipesadjacent to said supply-tanks, a siphon intermediate of each supply-tankand the adjacent stand-pipe, and a Siphon designed to supply Water fromeach stand-pipe to a spray-box.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

VILLIAM l. MCCROSKYc IVitnesses:

ED FARDELL, G. W. BRoADRIeK.

